Nancy Snyderman

Nancy Snyderman: Books & Videos

MEDICAL NEWS THIS Doctor WANTS YOU TO KNOW

MYTH: Vaccinations are just for kids.
FACT: More than 500,000 adults get shingles each year. It is a painful rash that results from a childhood chicken pox infection and can be prevented by getting a shingles vaccine in adulthood.

MYTH: Vitamin C prevents colds.
FACT: It can actually be harmful when taken in large doses over long periods of time.

MYTH: If I’m not overweight, I’m not at risk of heart attack.
FACT: Thin people die of heart attacks every day. The real culprits are smoking, cholesterol, and triglycerides.

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Girl in the Mirror
Mothers and Daughters in the Years of Adolescence

After collaborating on Necessary Journeys: Letting Ourselves Learn from Life, Snyderman, a medical correspondent for ABC News and PBS, and writer Streep kept in touch, and their conversations about nearing menopause while their daughters careen toward their teens evolved into this book. If at times the tone is overly academic this could be the only parenting guide to adapt Martin Buber's "I-Thou" theory to child-rearing Snyderman's optimism about making adolescence a positive time for both mother and daughter is infectious. She cites scholarly journals, comments from friends, interviews with authors and popular books like Naomi Wolf's The Beauty Myth to set straight many of the myths surrounding adolescence. Instead of viewing the teen years as something to be survived, she prefers comparing them to the Chinese character that represents both "crisis" and "opportunity."

Adolescence doesn't have to be a period of turmoil, she notes, drawing on a study that indicates that the vast majority of adolescents are no more likely than adults to succumb to mental illness. Throughout, Snyderman encourages mothers to put their own pasts behind them and communicate as much as possible about every aspect of their daughters' lives, including sex and relationships. She encourages parents not to buy into "wrongheaded notions" that daughters can raise themselves. "The rule of thumb is simple," she writes. "If you don't talk to her, she will get her information elsewhere. They need our help, our wisdom, our guidance, and, sometimes, our protection."

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Dr. Nancy Snyderman's Guide to Health
For Women over Forty

Snyderman, a surgeon and medical correspondent for Good Morning America and Day & Date, has compiled a well-balanced book on health issues affecting women after age 40. These include heart disease and cancer (the leading causes of death in older women), sexuality, menopause, chronic diseases, mental health, and proper healthcare maintenance. From hypertension to depression, the differences and inequalities between men and women in their medical treatment are also highlighted. Although a bit repetitive, these chapters are succinct and easy to read.

Snyderman arms the reader with practical information: signs and symptoms, myths, treatment, prevention, and questions to ask the doctor. Although there are other good books on the subject (notably the more comprehensive The New Ourselves, Growing Older, LJ 6/1/94), Snyderman's medical viewpoint is valuable, and her high profile will attract readers. The "Health Resource Appendix" is not as comprehensive as one might like (important organizations and associations such as RESOLVE are not listed), and a glossary of terms would have been helpful. Recommended for general health collections.

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